Paige Bagwell: My busiest two years of high school... 11th and 12th grade.

College has always been a primary goal for me. I have always been told like any other high school student that college is important and it is important to have a post secondary education to get good paying jobs in a career you'll love, based off of vocational interest of course. I didn't realize how important it would be honestly until I reached the 11 grade. My 11th grade year was probably one of my most stressful years of high school, I had always been in accelerated and advanced classes since the 7th grade. Once I reached junior year, it got harder. I was taking two AP (Advanced Placement) courses in History.... my worst hated subject and language and composition, dual credit courses with Gateway Community and Technical College in developmental, general education and Information Technology courses, SkillsUSA, STLP, Freedom Writers, and vocational studies in Graphic Communications and Information Technology.

Before junior year, I was just exploring the two vocational courses until I could figure out which one I liked best. Then I decided my junior year that I would go to college for both since I loved both so much and they were both and still are good fields to go into. The summer going into my senior year, I got my first job experience in IT when I got hired on to be a student IT Co-op, a summer job but a job. The maintenance crew and the IT teacher hire the co-ops and it was myself and 5 other people... all guys. That whole summer I worked with switches, punch down tools, fixing computers, installing software, fixing computer software problems through the use of the command prompt, installing wall mounted projectors, and running wires... not to mention painting and lifting cinder blocks while getting paid minimum wage, but I loved the job... was very upset when I had to stop for the start of the 2011-2012 academic year... senior year.

When senior year started, one, I was relieved because it was my last year of high school and my last year of getting up at 6 am 5 days a week, two, it was going to be easy. Since I was a Kentucky Scholars student my 8th grade year I was ahead of a normal high school student by 3 high school credits. The basic curriculum requirements were 4 English credits, 4 Math credits, 3 Science, 3 History, 2 Foreign Language and a year of PE and Health. I had finished everything including 3 high school Spanish classes by junior year... but one English credit. So my schedule for senior year was pretty hectic. I only had one English course... AP Literature and Composition, two graphic arts classes, and 3 IT courses and three days a week I left school early to come to the Urban Center campus in Covington to take dual credit courses at Gateway then come back for my extra-curricluar courses which was STLP and I was elected on the SkillsUSA local council again, this time as the Vice President... yay more responsibility, and Freedom Writers. Which meant more local, district, regional and possible state competitions. the first semester of senior year flew by, when I wasn't at Gateway classes I was at the high school vocational center either working on independent study in web design, or co-oping with the high school technology coordinator taking inventory on computers, installing hardware, or working on a regional showcase project for STLP. So wasn't all too busy the first semester. Outside of school I helped out with fundraisers for SkillsUSA including dressing up as a mattress for a mattress sale at the high school... fun day that was, drinking down a monster energy drink to attend the Homecoming dance, KLTI (Kentucky Leadership Training Institute) for Skills officers in Louisville, Kentucky for 3 days for officer team training, and volunteering Saturday mornings for Toys for Tots and Saturday study sessions for AP English.

After Christmas break of senior year it got even busier for me, Another dual credit course, preparing for the SkillsUSA regional competition in February 2012, watching my little cousin after school on Mondays, homework, and I also got asked if I wanted a ten week long job as a teaching assistant with the IT instructor on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-5:30 for Tubby's Clubhouse, it was an after school program for middle school students who had good grades and good attendance... my sister was in 6th grade at the time and was chosen for the program and it taught middle school kids to know the inside and out of a computer, take it apart and put it back together and install software on it.. I think the busiest week I had was the week of SkillsUSA regionals... that was a stress and a half but I got through it and Chapman SkillsUSA made it to state. Then college applications came about, I got accepted to Gateway Community and Technical College, Western Kentucky University, and Brescia University. Once everything was done and over with graduation neared and the last month was pretty easy. My last day of school was June 1, 2012 and the seniors had a week off to attend senior day at Kings Island which I attended with my mom, and I went back to the high school to help around the school, got hired on again for a summer co-op job, then finally, June 8, 2012 came. 7:00pm that day I was officially out of high school.

Despite the busy, stressful two years, I am in college and I am going for the things I loved doing while learning it in high school so it was well worth the hard work :) Here's some pictures of graduation and such.